Astoria Music School Holds Fourth Annual Recital

By Cristina Guarino

Astoria Music celebrated its fourth annual recital. Students, teachers, friends and family gathered at the Hellenic Cultural Society in Astoria to watch an afternoon performance celebrating Astoria’s budding talent.On June 9, Astoria Music celebrated its fourth annual recital. Students, teachers, friends and family gathered at the Hellenic Cultural Society in Astoria to watch an afternoon performance celebrating Astoria’s budding talent. The school has graced 30th Avenue since 1922.The recitals are the creation of Astoria Music’s piano teacher Anne Cheteyan whose desire is to expose students to the art of performance. “I wanted to host a recital, just to give the kids an experience of what it’s like to perform,” Cheteyan said. “It turns out the parents love it because they get to see their kids shine. And the kids love it, too—after the first recital, many of them came right back knowing exactly what they wanted to play the next year.”Every year brings a new theme, and each performing student contributes to it in some way. In previous recitals, students have been asked to bring other artistic talents into their music by drawing a picture of what their song means to them and creating three-dimensional flowers which decorate the stage. “Every year I ask them to do something,” explains Cheteyan. “Asking them to draw a picture of what their song means to them gives them a new way to think about it. It’s creative.” As for this year, the theme was Mother Nature, and students were asked to bring in three-dimensional animals to add to the scenery. The performances were followed by a reception, complete with sandwiches courtesy of D&F Italian Deli and an assortment of snacks and desserts provided by Cheteyan and the school’s owner, George Phillips.Phillips purchased Astoria Music, at 35-19 30th Avenue, in 1982 from its original owners, the Badgetakis family, who immigrated to Astoria from Greece. While offering numerous lessons, including piano, guitar, violin and even the Greek bouzouki, the store also sells instruments, accessories and other merchandise. For more information, visit www.astoriamusicstore.com.